Bad Boys & Good Girls
by sp0by
Summary: Beverly Hills' bad boy is falling for Annie Wilson, and she's falling right back. Too bad he has commitment issues...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Nice party Naomi's throwing, huh?"

Annie spun around to see none other than Liam Court standing there, a big smirk on his face. She ran a hand through her hair, nodding her head, and preparing to turn away. But Liam grabbed her arm, pulling her back, and pulling her close to his body. She looked away, not wanting anybody to see her with him.

"Stop," she ordered, stepping back from him.

"What is your problem?" Liam asked.

"You keep hitting on me," she told him. "It's not going to work like this. Naomi is one of my best friends, and you're just a—"

"Yeah, I get it, I'm a player, and I used to date your friend. She and I are over, and this hasn't stopped you from sending me signals back," Liam said, cupping her cheeks. "Annie, I know you want me."

"You're cocky," she said, rolling her eyes and pushing him off of her. "Somebody is going to see this and get the wrong idea, so would you stop touching me?"

"I'm returning the signals that you sent me!" Liam cried. "Why did you kiss me over the summer?"

Annie sighed and told him, "It doesn't matter why."

"I'm ready to do this," Liam promised her. "I was there for you after the hit and run, and I'm still here for you now. We're friends. And it has been months since Naomi and I broke up, so I don't see why you and I can't happen. I want to be with you."

"You're just saying that," Annie mumbled. "You use girls. Any girl that you chase after is always just some waste of your time that you drop after a while, and I don't want to be another one of those girls, Liam, I just can't be. I would rather be just your friend than nothing to you at all in a few months, or maybe even days, for all I know."

"I get that I have a record of being bad when it comes to relationships, but you're not one of those girls, Annie. You're never going to be," he promised her, taking both of her hands.

"I can't. It's never going to be right. You're still Naomi's ex," she said, staring at the floor. "I don't think I'm in the mood for a party, so I think I'm just going to head off—"

"Didn't you come here with Silver and Adrianna?" Liam asked. "They're not exactly in the mood to leave the party. Ade is having a very good time with Navid, and I think Silver has found herself some new guy. Don't kill their girl time. Let me drive you home."

"I'm not going to let you drive me home! There's always some trick up your sleeve," Annie said, shaking her head.

"No tricks at all," Liam guaranteed. "I'm just trying to be a good friend. Have you forgotten that I care about you?"

She gave in, nodding her head, and then following Liam to his car. The car ride to her house was slow and quiet, but it felt like the silence was needed. Annie didn't have anything to say to him. Well, at least anything that would make the situation easier for both of them... because part of her just wanted to tell Liam how she felt about him, and then to enjoy that feeling of Liam's lips against hers. The first kiss they had shared over the summer was perfect. It was so perfect that Annie didn't want to talk to him for months. She was hoping that she would hate it, and whatever attraction she had towards Liam would just go away already. But it was still there, and she couldn't get rid of it. There she was, sitting in his car while he drove her home, and all she could think about was ripping his clothes off.

"We're here," he announced, unlocking the door for her. "It's a late night. I'll walk you in."

She wanted to tell him that it was a bad idea, but truthfully, she didn't hate the sound of a few more lingering moments of being near him. So, she let it happen. He got out of the car, opening the door for her as well. He gave her a hand to help her out, and they walked in silence towards the door of her house. She reached for the key from her purse, and unlocked the door, slowly stepping outside. She turned to face him. It was time to part ways already. She knew she needed to let go.

"Thanks for the ride," she quietly said, scratching her head.

"Yeah, any time," he said with a sincere smile. "Good night."

"Or maybe you could stay," she suggested.

"You would want me to?" Liam asked.

She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head and responding, "No, sorry about that. I do think it's best that you go. It's really late already. Good night."

"Night," he said, accepting her decision.

She shut the door. He stood there for an extra moment, sighing. She was gone. A surge of disappointment rushed through him, but he finally lost the stubbornness, and decided to just give it a rest for the night. He began walking back to his car. Barely. Just slow steps. One, two, three... part of him still hoped that her mind would change, that door would open, and he'd see her chasing after him for once. But it wouldn't happen. Annie was too good.

But it did happen. The door opened, and there was an apprehensive look on her face. He turned around, hearing the sound of the door. His gaze locked with hers for a moment, and she simply mumbled, "Liam..." She said his name, and he walked right back to her. Whatever effect she had on him was purely horrifying. He was afraid of the effect she had. What was she doing to him? He had never been like this. He had never been the one to run after the girl every time. They always came to him. But he couldn't help it. His heart hurt when he gave up on her. He needed to go back to her every time.

Back at her doorway, their eyes met one last time, before Liam leaned in, his whole self feeling hungrier than ever before. The kiss they shared equaled his passion, devouring the small girl with all the lust he had for her. He picked her up, carrying her in his arms, their lips not separating for one second. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands were looped around his neck, kissing him as hard as she could. Their emotions were at their peaks, and they couldn't deny the attraction in what was happening. Liam kicked the door behind him, and carried the tiny girl up the stairs. Fumbling into her bedroom, he practically threw her on the bed, jumping on top of her.

Their breaths were so unsteady, but their heartbeats were in sync. Their noses were touching as Annie began to unbutton Liam's flannel shirt, revealing his chiseled chest. Beverly Hills guys were definitely hotter than most average guys... and she took a moment to appreciate that fact by taking a long, good scan at his muscular body. Licking her lips, she pushed the flannel shirt to the floor, and pulling him back on top of her. Her head was now resting on the pillow. He pulled her back up so she was sitting up again, and dragged her blouse over her head, tossing it onto the floor. Liam found the clasp of her bra, about ready to unhook it. He saw a look of worry on Annie's face, but reassured her of his feelings with one more kiss. Then, her bra dropped down, and his lips met the new skin exposed on her body.

"Are you sure?" Liam asked in a quiet tone.

"Yes," she answered, pulling him back on top of her, and their lips met again.

...

The next morning, Annie's heart was pounding when she woke up. Her arms were wrapped around Liam's naked body. He was fast asleep. She sighed, sitting up in bed. She reached for her phone, checking the time. 9:01 AM. Thank god her parents were away for the weekend. Her only hope was that Dixon has found some girl to hook up with that night, and didn't make his way home yet.

"Liam," she whispered, shaking his body. "Liam!"

"Mm, I'm up, I'm up," he said, his eyes groggily opening. He smiled when he saw her. "Good morning," he said in his groggy tone, taking her arm and pulling her in for a raw kiss. She didn't even mind that both of them had a bad case of morning breath.

"No, no, we can't," she stopped him.

"Yeah, was three times last night good enough?" Liam joked, smiling at her. "What is up with you? I'm happy right now."

"Last night was—" she began.

"Amazing? Perfect? Sexy?" Liam finished for her with a cocky smile. "I could say that it was the best sex of my life."

"Glad to know that, and I can't lie to you, because it did feel right, and felt so good," she admitted, sighing, "but that doesn't replace the fact that we shouldn't have done it."

"We shouldn't have? Annie, there's nothing going against this except you saying we shouldn't!" Liam cried. "Naomi and I broke up, the complications from my life are finally gone, and we're in a good place. The universe is saying this should happen, but you keep saying it shouldn't."

"I just don't know how I feel about this, okay?" Annie told him.

"Then let's talk about it tonight," Liam said with a smile. "Do you want to go to dinner with me? I mean it, for real. We can figure everything out. 7:00?"

Annie smiled back at him and said, "Alright, okay. 7:00 it is. But I still think you should get out of here right now. We haven't figured out what we're doing yet, and the last thing I need is Dixon asking me questions about it, so..."

"I get it," he told her, and pecked her forehead. "I'll get out. See you tonight for dinner."

He put his clothes back on before cracking the window open, and crawling out. Annie watched carefully as he did, sighing happily. Liam Court asked her out for dinner? She couldn't believe that it was finally happening between them. Maybe it was the start of something really amazing. What if Liam was the one she was meant to be with? She had already found out how good it felt to have sex with him, and to kiss him. Imagine if she could have that every day for the rest of her life... She would love it.

Finally getting up from bed, she put her clothes back on, slowly walking out of her bedroom. She heard the sound of plates clattering downstairs, which could only mean one thing— Dixon was home. Her hope was that he hadn't come home until early this morning, or that he hadn't come up to check on her. Sighing, she made her way downstairs.

"Pancakes? I didn't know that you could cook," Annie commented with a laugh, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Nah, I got these from iHop this morning. That party wore me out," Dixon said, scratching his head. "I got you some."

"Really? Thanks," she said with a bright smile, getting herself a plate. "I get that you didn't want to cook this morning. With mom and dad gone, plus that insane party that Naomi threw..."

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy," Dixon agreed. "I mean, I got back last night, though. You left earlier than I expected."

"Well, I wasn't in a party mood anymore," Annie explained.

"Oh, so you were more in a Liam mood?" Dixon muttered under his breath.

"Dixon, I heard that," Annie said, sighing. "Okay, so I guess you know..."

"Of course I know. I was looking everywhere for you at the party when I was ready to leave, but you weren't there. When I went home, I had to make sure you were here, too. It might have been like 3 AM, so I was hoping that you were sleeping, and you were, but you weren't alone," Dixon explained. "I really wasn't expecting to see you cuddled up to a very naked Liam."

She ran a hand through her hair and told him, "Look, I wasn't expecting it, either. It sort of just happened."

"That's a line that everyone uses," Dixon scoffed. "I mean, I'm alright with it. I'm alright with you, but with him? He can be a pretty bad guy. He's done a lot of regrettable things."

"Haven't we all?" Annie said, raising her eyebrows. "I was in a hit and run! We have all done plenty of things that we regret, and Liam is no different. He still looks at me the same, despite the fact that he knows everything that I've done."

"He looks at you as another girl he's doing to screw," Dixon warned her. "He's already screwed you over emotionally, and now he's cashing that in. He got what he wanted by sleeping with you. Now he's done. He's my friend, I know that, but I also know the type of guy he is, and I just don't want my sister getting hurt."

"I don't need you to watch out for me. Liam doesn't think of me that way, I know he doesn't," Annie told him. "He didn't just ditch me after we slept together, he stayed. He wanted to stay. And he asked me out for dinner. He told me he has feelings for me, Dixon. I don't believe that he's using me."

"Yeah, well he can be pretty convincing," Dixon argued. "Fine, whatever, you can keep hooking up with him. But he's the type of guy who stands girls up. When you get hurt, don't say that I didn't warn you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Annie couldn't help but drive herself to Naomi's grand home, and knock on her door. She had to tell her about what happened with Liam, or she wouldn't feel right about going out on a date with him. Besides, Dixon already knew about it, so she felt like the secret would start spilling at some point, and the fallout would be worse if she didn't tell it to Naomi herself. Last time Naomi thought that Annie slept with him, she tried to make the poor girl's life hell, even though it wasn't even true. What would her reaction be if it really was true? Would her friendship with Naomi end?

"Annie Wilson, what a pleasant surprise," Naomi said, opening the door with a smile. "I'm actually having a nice after party with the other girls, after the crazy party from last night. Since you're here, care to join us?"

"Um, sure... but the others are here?" Annie asked.

Naomi nodded her head and explained, "Don't worry, it's not a crazy stranger pool like the party. It's just me, you, Silver, and Adrianna."

"Well, I was sort of hoping that we could talk alone right now," Annie said.

"Is this about your hook-up last night?" Naomi asked, laughing. "I sort of figured after I realized you had jetted off from my party. So, who is the lucky guy?"

"Naomi, this is important," Annie told her.

"Well, come put your bathing suit on, soak in the hot tub, and tell us about your dilemma!" Naomi exclaimed. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Oh, did you not bring your bikini? Silly me. Don't worry, I have a whole bunch upstairs. Just wait here."

Naomi came back with quite a few swimsuit options for Annie. Eventually, she just picked one and put it on, and then joined the girls in the hot tub. Silver and Adrianna were also some of her best friends. They would all find out at some point if she started dating Liam. Maybe it was time that she told them.

"Annie has news," Naomi announced, getting back inside the hot tub.

"Is this about the hook-up?" Silver asked. "Naomi figured that you did."

"Okay, this is hard for me to say," Annie quietly said. "I did sleep with somebody last night. But he wasn't some stranger guy..."

"Wow, is that your news? Because it wasn't very good," Adrianna commented. "We all figured that you hooked up with somebody, actually. As long as it wasn't Navid, I'm fine. But it wasn't, because he was with me the whole time. At least I think he was... I might have had too many drinks, so I can barely remember what happened—"

"Ade, it wasn't Navid, I can promise you that," Annie told her, sighing.

"Then what is the problem?" Silver asked. "As long as he's not some ugly ass dude, then you should be happy! Unless you're pregnant. That wouldn't be too good—"

"I slept with Liam," Annie confessed.

Naomi pursed her lips for a moment before smiling.

"Are you happy about this?" Annie asked.

"Well, I can't say that I'm mad," Naomi told her, shrugging it off. "Honey, Liam hasn't been on my mind in forever. I've got myself a new guy. We're keeping it low-key, but I've been seeing him for a bit, and I can tell you that the sex is amazing."

"Good to know," Silver laughed, but then turned her attention back to Annie. "You and Liam? Wow... Just wow. Do you like him?"

"I mean... I don't know. Well, I guess... I mean, yeah, I think I do, but I just didn't know if it was okay with Naomi, and he's known to hurt girls, and I don't want to get hurt—" Annie began.

"Annie, if you're looking for my blessing, well, then you've got it," Naomi told her. "But I can't argue about the bad guy part. He is a pretty big player. Sleeping with my own sister..."

"I did not need a reminder of that event," Annie sighed.

"That was so long ago. Personally, I think he's becoming a better person," Silver defended. "So, if you like him, and he likes you, then where does this leave you guys?"

"Hopefully somewhere good," Annie laughed. "He did ask me out to have dinner so we can 'figure things out'."

"I'm guessing that means it's a date," Adrianna said, smiling. "Don't be shocked when he tries to kiss you. Pretty sure our little Annie is going to have a new boyfriend tomorrow. Am I right?"

"Well, we'll see," Annie said, trying hard not to smile. "I'm supposed to meet him for dinner at 7:00."

"Then we still have quite a few hours for this after party!" Naomi exclaimed. "Oh, and I'm SO helping you pick your outfit for the date."

...

There was a knock on Liam's door, so he sighed as he ran down from his bedroom to open it.

"Oh... hey Teddy... Dixon," Liam greeted quietly.

"It's almost 5:00, and we heard the waves out there tonight are gonna be killer!" Teddy exclaimed. "Dixon and I are heading out to the beach to go for a little bit of surfing. Do you want to head out with us?"

"I mean I would, but I've got plans tonight," Liam said. "Sorry, guys."

"Plans?" Teddy questioned. "Are you holding a suit? Liam Court is wearing a suit! Is this for a girl? She must be pretty damn special if you're wearing a suit for her."

"Yeah, she is special. It's no big deal, though. Have fun out there," Liam said, smiling.

"Is this for Annie?" Dixon asked.

"What?" Liam said, scratching his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, don't play dumb with me," Dixon said, rolling his eyes. "She knows that I know. I saw you two cuddled up to each other when I got back from Naomi's party. Are you taking her out tonight? She's your special girl?"

"Alright, yeah, I'm taking Annie out tonight," Liam told him. "You're cool with that, right?"

"Honestly, I'm not," Dixon said.

"Dixon..." Teddy muttered.

"No, I'm not 'alright'," Dixon said. "I mean, go ahead, take her out, I don't have anything against her having a boyfriend, but she's my sister, and I'm worried about her. I'm worried that you might hurt her."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm just that guy known for hurting everybody around him," Liam quietly said, sighing. "I know who I am. You don't trust me to take care of Annie? I would never hurt her."

"You're one of my friends, and I trust you, and I know you don't intend to hurt people, but sometimes you do it anyways," Dixon said, sighing. "I'm not asking you to stop, or to not take her out, but just please think about what you're doing, and don't hurt her. She's been hurt enough in her life, and she doesn't need another guy messing things up for her. She deserves the best."

"I think you two should be hitting the beach now. I don't think you want to miss the 'killer waves'," Liam said, gesturing for them to leave.

...

It was 7:30.

"Liam, where are you? It's been 30 minutes since we were supposed to meet, and I've been waiting at the restaurant for all this time, and I just don't understand what's happening right now, so can you please call me back? I'm getting worried," Annie said to the voicemail, before ending it, and putting her phone back in her purse.

She felt betrayed. She was expecting this magical night with Liam, where they had a perfect dinner, shared a kiss under the stars, and talked about being in a relationship together, but instead, she was waiting inside of a restaurant, being stood up. All she wanted to do was have a good night. Maybe everyone was right about Liam just being a bad boy. He would never be able to commit to her. He would never love anybody. His intentions were always using girls. Maybe Dixon was right. He got what he was looking for last night— they had slept together, and now he was done with her. That was starting to feel like the case.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, and her faith restored. Maybe, just maybe, he had some miraculous excuse for why he wasn't there. Maybe his home situation kept him, parents, or anything at all. She didn't care. She just needed to know that she hasn't been stood up.

'I'm really sorry, but I can't make it tonight. I don't think we're a good idea. I still care about you, and I hope we can be friends. -Liam'

A tear dripped down her cheeks, and she shoved her phone back into her purse. She began walking towards the parking lot, finding her keys. Fumbling for them, she angrily opened her car door, getting inside.

"Annie?"

Annie turned around.

"Ivy, hey..."

"Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Ivy asked. "Naomi told me that you're going on a date with Liam tonight, and—"

"Well, that date isn't happening. Everyone was right to say he's a 'bad boy'. He stood me up," Annie said, sighing. "He didn't show up tonight, so he last-minute texted that he doesn't think we're a good idea. So, this is great. This is just awesome. What are you doing here anyways?"

"Raj is going to start cancer treatment tomorrow, so I thought we would go out to celebrate. He's washing up, but he'll come back in a second," Ivy explained. "Annie, I'm really sorry about the way he treated you. Being stood up must suck, dude."

"Yeah, it does suck... a lot," Annie said. "I hope you and Raj have a good night, though. At least you guys get to have some fun. But relationships suck for me. They always do."

"Maybe he has a reason for it. I know Liam's known for being on the bad side, but I've always thought he genuinely has feelings for you," Ivy told her. "You've always been the one person he's never wanted to hurt."

"He loves to act like he cares about me, doesn't he?" Annie scoffed. "He doesn't care, Ivy. He loves to pretend like he has such genuine feelings for a girl before he sleeps with them. And he got what he wanted, so now he's done with me. The text he sent made it pretty clear."

"Annie—" Ivy began, but the brunette got into her car, and drove home, sobbing the entire way.

Entering her house, Annie sighed. She leaned her back against the door, letting tears run down her cheeks. She hadn't cried so hard in a very long time. Down the stairs came Dixon, his eyes widening when he saw his crying sister.

"Oh my god, what did he do?" Dixon asked, walking up to her immediately and giving her a hug. "It's only like 7:45, was the date that short? What happened?"

"You were right, Dixon," Annie sobbed. "You were right about Liam. He never wanted to be with me, he just wanted to sleep with me. He stood me up tonight, and sent a text to me saying that he doesn't think we're a good idea. Now that we've slept together, he's just done with me for good. I actually thought I meant more to him than other girls."

"Annie, I didn't want to be right," Dixon said, shaking his head. "I never wanted to be right if it meant you getting hurt. It's his loss. You're an amazing girl, and he doesn't deserve you, anyways."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Don't think about it for too long, and don't keep crying. You'll get through this," Dixon told his sister, tucking her into bed. "I've gotta quickly go see Teddy, 'cause I left some of my surfing stuff at his place, but I'll be back soon. Call me if you need anything."

Dixon left Annie's bedroom, and made his way to his car. But he wasn't going to Teddy's house, because he hadn't forgotten any of his things. Instead, he went to Liam's house. He needed another word with the guy who broke his sister's heart. He angrily knocked on Liam's door.

"Dixon?" Liam said.

"What the hell is your problem, Liam?" Dixon asked, raising his eyebrows. "When I said you're going to end up hurting Annie, I didn't mean that you should stand her up on your date! What kind of guy does that? I thought you liked her."

"I do, but you're the one who put that idea in my mind! You made me realize that I'm never going to make her happy. She's always going to be unhappy and get hurt if she's with me. I shouldn't be her boyfriend if I'm going to make everything worse for her," Liam explained. "Not going on the date was the only way I could make sure we didn't happen, and I never hurt her. Because I know if I even went on that one date with her, I would make the mistake of falling for her again, and I would be too into it to break up with her. It's better now than later."

"You're blaming this on me?" Dixon snapped. "Annie is crazy about you, I can tell!"

"And I'm crazy about her, too, but we both know if I date her now, it'll be the worst heartbreak of all time later," Liam said.

"So, just like that, you're giving up?" Dixon asked. "You're going to keep being the guy who quits everything, and never tries? You didn't even try with Annie, you just quit her already."

"Why are you so pissed with me? You're the one who was against me going out with her in the first place!" Liam cried. "I thought you would be happy that she and I didn't end up together."

"I know I was, but when I saw her cry, I knew how much you meant to her. And if I knew that, I would never want to make her lose you," Dixon said, sighing. "Can't you just make this right? Go apologize to her!"

"I can apologize to her, but nothing is going to change. I'm bad for her," Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I want to be the guy that makes her smile all the time, and doesn't make her sad, but I'm the one that makes her miserable all the time."

"You wouldn't be if you didn't stand her up!" Dixon yelled. "Fix it!"

"I can't," Liam quietly said. "I can't do this when I know I'm not capable of being a good boyfriend. I'm not boyfriend material. I never have been, and I never will be."

"Maybe you aren't cut out to be with Annie after all," Dixon said, shaking his head. "She doesn't need a guy that keeps running away from her. She needs a guy that is willing to commit himself to her, and to stay with her. You just keep running away. I hope you're happy with what you did to her tonight, Liam."

Dixon walked away, getting back into his car, and driving home.

...

Annie could barely get herself up to go to school on the following Monday. She knew she would run into Liam, and she would have to face what happened. Did he expect them to act as if they were friends after what happened? She wasn't about to go back to being close friends with somebody that hooked up with her, and then dropped her because it wasn't a 'good idea'. Facing Liam was going to be a challenge, and she knew it well.

"Don't sweat it, okay?" Dixon said as he pulled their car up in the parking lot of the school. "I know you're still hurting, but don't let everything be hard because of what he did to you."

"I know, I'm not," Annie told him. "I'm fine. I mean, I'm sad, but it's not taking over my life. He's just a guy."

"Good, I'm glad to hear you say that," Dixon said with a smile, opening the car door for her. "Now, have a kick-ass day without him."

Annie smiled at her brother, and made her way into the hallway of the high school, when Naomi walked up to her.

"Somebody didn't text me after their big first date with a certain bad boy!" Naomi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "How was it? Were we right about Annie Wilson coming to school with a new boyfriend? I need a photo of the new power co—"

"Naomi, we're not together," Annie stopped her. "I don't want to get into detail or anything, be he stood me up on our date, and texted me to say that he doesn't think it's a good idea. So no. No, we're not dating now, and I don't think we ever will be after what happened."

"Oh damn," Naomi said, raising her eyebrows. "He stood you up? What a dick move!"

"I did feel like crap after it happened, but I'm getting over it," Annie said with a sigh.

"Are you really okay?" Naomi asked.

"No..." Annie quietly confessed, beginning to sob again, and Naomi came over to give the brunette a hug.

"You can find a better guy," Naomi told her. "Let's get drinks after school today. You should take your mind off of the recent heartbreak, and there's nothing better than a good drink to get your mind off of things."

"I don't know," Annie said apprehensively.

"Come on!" Naomi urged. "It'll be so much fun. Boys suck! We need some girl time."

"I thought you were the one secretly seeing some guy," Annie said, raising her eyebrows.

"I am, but that doesn't mean I haven't had my fair share of heartbreaks. Liam? Been there, done that. He can make you feel really good, or he can make you feel like total crap. This is one of those total crap situations," Naomi said, patting her back. "At the bar I went to before I started seeing the guy I'm going out with on the DL, there were tons of cute guys. You can totally pick up some new hottie!"

"Naomi, I don't know if I'm ready to let Liam go," Annie said, sighing. "How can I move on when it just ended like a day ago?"

"Because you're Annie freaking Wilston, and you're better than that ass!" Naomi cried, smiling. "You don't need him."

"Annie, I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now, but I really need to talk to you about what happened—" Liam began, stepping up behind Naomi.

"I have to get to class," Annie mumbled, walking away from him.

...

After school, Annie ended up heading to the bar with Naomi for drinks. And a couple of drinks made her a bit dizzy, but her mind certainly did wander from the thought of Liam, so it wasn't just a dark vortex of rejection in her head all night long. Girl time with Naomi was always helpful to get her mind off of the bad things in life.

"That cutie over there is totally making googly-eyes at you," Naomi commented.

"I told you that I don't know if I'm ready to just jump away from Liam already," Annie told her.

"Well, you better make your decision fast— are you ready or not? Because he's coming over here right now," Naomi said, turning away to sip her drink.

And as Naomi observed, the 'cutie' from the other side of the bar did walk over to her. He had dirty blond hair—almost brown— a killer smile, and a nice face. Annie couldn't deny that this guy was attractive. Not to mention, his jawline could cut glass. She did feel flattered that the cute guy came up to her. At least he actually showed up when he wanted a girl, unlike stupid Liam Court.

"Hey, um, I'm not sure if this is the right time, or a good thing to you, but I was about to leave the bar, and I knew I couldn't go without taking a chance to ask you for your number," he said, sitting down next to her, flashing his gorgeous smile. "Maybe I'll enlighten you with a few fun facts about me, so you don't think I'm a total weirdo. I'm a college student at CU, I have a part-time-job at a motorcycle workshop, I can drive a motorcycle, my name is Paul, and I think you're very beautiful."

"A bar guy?" Annie said, raising her eyebrows. "Not exactly my brightest hour."

"Oh, I get it. You're not looking for a bar hook-up. Lucky for you, neither am I," Paul said, still smiling. "And I don't have to be a bar guy, if you give me a chance. Let me be a fancy restaurant guy. How does dinner sound? All I need is your number."

"That could work. Would you actually show up to dinner?" Annie asked, rolling her eyes.

"Of course I would show up. Why wouldn't I?" Paul laughed. "I'm the one asking you out..."

"Yeah, well, this guy I knew asked me out once, and he never showed up," Annie said, folding her arms. "I'm not looking for another no-show date. It was hard enough the first time."

"Well, I can guarantee you that I will be there. And any guy who stood you up is an idiot. It's his loss," Paul said. "I'm never going to make you feel the way that this guy did. So, what do you say? Dinner?"

"Do it," Naomi whispered, nudging her.

"Alright," Annie smiled, nodding her head. "I'll have dinner with you. Put your number in my phone."

Paul grinned, typing his contact information into her cell phone.

"Call me some time. I'll be waiting," he said, walking out of the bar.

"You just got a date with that hottie!" Naomi exclaimed, grabbing Annie's phone from her. "Paul Anthony? What a hot name. He's way better than Liam. Liam Court? Paul Anthony? Holy crap, am I just too drunk, or is that Liam?"

"What are you talking about? It can't be Lia—" Annie began, but her eyes widened. "I must be very drunk, too, because I think I'm also seeing him. Please tell me I'm hallucinating."

"Annie!" Liam cried, walking up to her. "We really need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Annie snapped. "Your stupid no-show date? How we hooked up, and now you suddenly don't want me anymore? You got what you wanted from me, Liam. We had sex, and now you're done with me. Message received. I'll screw Paul Anthony, and then we'll see—"

"Who the hell is Paul Anthony? And what are you talking about? I didn't use you for sex," Liam said, raising his eyebrows. "I like you, Annie. I care about you, and I do have feelings for you. It was never about sleeping with you. Are you drunk?"

"I... am not drunk!" Annie cried, but the slurring of her tone made it quite obvious.

"You both are drunk, aren't you?" Liam sighed. "Come on, I'll get you guys home. How the hell were you planning on driving yourself?"

"Paul Anthony is Annie's hot new date!" Naomi cried. "You missed your chance, Court. She's got a better guy."

"We can talk when you guys are actually sober," Liam said, rolling his eyes and helping them up. "Come on, let's get you home."

...

After dropping Naomi off at her place, Liam drove Annie to hers. He helped her into bed, and sat with her.

"Are you okay now?" Liam asked.

"No, I'm not okay," Annie said, slamming her head against the pillow. "The guy I like is a total douchebag, and now he's trying to help me, and my mind is totally screwed over—"

"I've never used you," Liam told her. "I know you're probably too drunk to understand what I'm saying right now, but I've never used you, Annie. What happened that night was unexpected, genuine, and every kiss meant something to me. Every touch meant something to me. Every moment we spent together meant something to me."

Annie looked like she was passing out, so he stopped himself from going on a long speech. Instead, he just placed the blanket over her body, and waited. He waited there for as long as he could. He knew the only way to talk to her was to wait.

After a while, she woke up by herself, but with a massive headache. He brought her some water to ease the pain.

"Why are you still here?" Annie asked, sipping the water. "Did you wait here the whole time? Man, my head hurts!"

"Keep drinking water," Liam encouraged. "And yeah, of course I waited. I can't leave you by yourself. I think Dixon and Teddy went surfing again, and your parents are still gone, I wasn't going to leave."

"Oh, but you left me on that date," Annie snapped.

"Are you still drunk?" Liam asked.

"No, Liam, I'm not drunk!" Annie yelled. "I'm feeling a lot better now, and maybe I don't remember what happened, but it doesn't matter. I know where I am now. And I didn't forget what you did to me."

"I screwed up badly," Liam sighed. "I know I did. I'm an idiot for not showing up that night, but I have my reasons. I was having doubts about us, okay?"

"Great excuse. You figured your doubts out, though. You just don't think we're a good match," Annie scoffed.

"It's not that I don't think of you in a romantic way, because I do, but you know the type of person that I am," Liam said, sighing. "I'm bad, I hurt people. I don't want to keep hurting you. I thought it would be easier to just end things at that moment, instead of starting a relationship I know I can't handle. I care about you too much to date you when I know I'm not ready. If we dated, you would never be happy. I'm bad for you. You have a bright future. You're an amazing girl. I'm the screw-up. I'm the big mistake. If we dated, you would be sucked into that world, and I don't want that for you, okay? I want you to have the future you deserve, and if my future is mixed with yours, you're going to get hurt. Everything I'd do would always hurt you."

"Why do you feel that way about yourself?" Annie asked, raising her eyebrows. "I love the person that you are, Liam. Everything about you has been something that I accept, and that I love! I'm not going to run away from the person you are. I accept you. Don't worry about me. I know your future is much brighter than you think it is. You're not a mistake, and you're not a screw-up, so stop. You're perfect the way you are. I love who you are. I love you, Liam."

"Annie," he mumbled.

"I do. I love you," she said, staring at the floor. "I've tried to hide it, and I've tried to make it go away. I know you can be a 'bad boy', but I still love you."

He leaned in so close to her lips, but stopped himself.

"What, Liam? What's the problem now?" Annie asked, rolling her eyes.

"I still believe in what I said," he confessed, scratching his head. "You don't see it because you always choose to see the good in people. I'm not good, and I'm not good for you. Steer clear of me, okay? I'm going to end up hurting you if you stay near me. I'm going to call Dixon to take care of you. I should go."

"There you are, running away again," Annie mumbled.

"Yeah, Annie. I am running away," Liam said, swallowing hard. "Running away is what I do best. And I'm doing it again."


End file.
